Meet America's premier 'picker' Mike Wolfe

Hampton home and garden show features antiques appraiser Dr. Lori, gardening experts and designer room challenge

February 03, 2013|By Kathy Van MullekomSpecial to the Daily Press

Mike Wolfe travels 75,000 miles a year, hunting for old gas station signs, vintage pinball machines, broken-down collectible motorcycles, architectural doors and other Americana he finds in barns, fields and warehouses.

His sidekick Frank Fritz travels with him in their Mercedes-Benz van, all the while talking via cell phone to Danielle, who schedules their jaunts and tries to sell what they tote back to their store, Antique Archaeology in Le Claire, Iowa. There's a sister store in Nashville.

You can hear Wolfe talk about his tales from the trails – showcased on History Channel's TV show "American Pickers" — at 1 p.m. Saturday during the Hampton Roads Home & Garden Show, which begins Friday and ends Sunday.

"My show focuses on the fact that there is no such thing as a nobody and that things aren't junk if you can pick them up and use them," Wolfe said.

"I think people collect to remember to embrace the past. It doesn't need to be past that they lived in, but a past that they feel connected to," he said. "America — now more than ever — needs to feel proud about its past. If we all have that sense of pride, anything we dream will become possible again.

"With pride comes will."

Wolfe has been combing through junk since he was four. To inspire youngsters to pursue and enjoy his passion, he's devoted his second book, "Kid Pickers," and new website, KidPickers.com, to what he calls the next generation of pickers.

"To help them understand that they are not alone or different. When I was a kid, I found myself alone with my collections and on my treasure hunts. It wasn't until later in life that I realized there were others like me," he said.

"It's important for kids to have hands-on history lessons and for them to learn about family and community. They can do both of those things when they discover things. Tomorrow's picks will be handmade, unique items, not mass-produced pieces."

A nomad who lives what he does, Wolfe fills his own home with "strong honest pieces with simple lines," he says. Some pieces he picked — some he bought new.

"The house has architectural salvaged items such as doors, cabinets and windows," he says.

"Neutral colors and natural rugs, too. I like to surround myself with pieces that have history and function."

His three favorite towns for picking include Charleston, S.C., Savannah, Ga., and Galen, Ill., because they all have character, mystery, style, grace and romance, he says.

In addition to Wolfe's on-stage program, the three-day home and garden show features ideas for indoor and outdoor renovations and additions by more than 300 home and gardening companies, food drive to benefit the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank and cooking demonstrations by the Culinary Institute of Virginia.

Here's a closer look at what you can see and do:

Get your stuff appraised

Dr. Lori Verderame is known professionally as "Dr. Lori." She has a doctorate in art history and says she can appraise "anything and everything" because she has a museum and university teaching background.

During the show, she does one free appraisal per person. Extra objects are $25 per piece. Don't bring your Beanie Babies because they are worth nothing, but your antique Tiffany lamp could be worth hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars, she says.

"Old furniture is picking up in popularity, especially 1950s and 1960s pieces with the 20-to-35 age group," she said. "I'll break some hearts and make some millionaires. We laugh and learn along the way."

All things small inspire Pam Shank to imagine and dream big. She does this through Landscapes in Miniature, which are miniature fairy, beach and nostalgic gardens she makes for indoors and outdoors.

"I think the fascination of these is the imagination they inspire," said Shank, who lives in Harrisonburg (www.landscapesinminiature.com). "So many people played with dollhouses or tiny matchbox cars when they were little," she says, "and this brings those memories back."

During her noon program each day on the three-day Green Thumb Theater stage, Shank creates a garden and gives one away. She — along with Gardens and Accessories by Teresa of York County, who creates moss topiaries on stage each day — have a booth where you can buy gardening items. Learn more about the other gardening speakers at http://www.hamptonroadshomeshow.com.

See how old is chic again

Repurposing worn and discarded items into useful, beautiful pieces for your home and yard is trendy and so smart.

Four local designers and one amateur enthusiast show how it's done in the Habitat for Humanity ReStorage Challenge. Each designer works with a $1,000 budget to transform "finds" from Habitat's ReStores on the Peninsula and in Williamsburg into "shabby chic" decors. You can purchase items at the end of the show.